Nearly $305.5 million was authorized recently for projects over the next 10 years to improve, expand and maintain broadband service in rural areas of Texas according to the Wichita Falls Times.
The move will bring affordable broadband services to 23,424 underserved residences and businesses in the state.
“Access to broadband isn’t just about connecting to the internet. It’s an issue of safety, of education, and of health for rural Texans,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). “I’m grateful to the Trump Administration for recognizing the critical need for broadband in rural areas and for supporting the connectivity of more than 23,000 rural Texas households and businesses.”
This effort in Texas is part of a nationwide authorization of nearly $5 billion over the next decade to provide and improve broadband service to 455,334 locations.
In return for the funding, carriers are to provide services to areas with at least 25 Megabits per second downstream and 3 Mbps upstream to more than 363,000 locations across the country.
The FCC said providers will be held accountable through an enforceable schedule for delivering improved and expanded service, with the first interim deployment obligation occurring in 2022.
In the north Texas area, there are six counties benefiting from this phase of authorizations for a total of just over $24 million that will bring services to 2,007 locations.